Equalization is a signal processing technique that is implemented in a communication system to reduce or compensate for certain effects (e.g., inter symbol interference (ISI)) experienced by a communication signal as it propagates through a communication channel. One form of equalization that is widely used in wireless communication systems is maximum likelihood sequence estimation (MLSE) equalization. The MLSE technique (which typically makes use of the Viterbi algorithm) represents an optimal equalization approach (e.g., optimal error performance) in a communication system. However, when used in a system having a large symbol alphabet and a channel with a large memory length, the full-state MLSE equalization approach can be prohibitively complex. Various techniques have been developed for reducing the complexity of the MLSE algorithm including, for example, collapsing a number of trellis states into a smaller number of states (effectively shortening the length of the equalizer), using delayed decision feedback techniques, and using coset partitioning. However, the error performance of these lower complexity equalization techniques is often significantly less than the performance of the full-state MLSE algorithm.